Archers and bowhunters are constantly seeking new developments that can improve the accuracy and the stealth of their shooting. Consequently, sighting devices, release mechanisms, stabilizers and other accessories have been developed to improve bow shooting. Many of these accessories are provided with a threaded shaft for attachment to the bow. Consequently, the handle or riser of the bow may therefore be provided with one or more threaded attachment holes to permit attachment of the various accessories.
One such accessory is a stabilizer that is designed to counterbalance the bow and to reduce vibration attendant to its use. The simplest stabilizers are generally weighted cylinders or rods that are attached to the front or the rear of the riser of the bow. Some stabilizers are designed to be used in pairs, one being attached to the upper part of the riser, and the other being attached to the lower part. Other stabilizers are designed to be used alone, and single stabilizers are usually attached to the front of the riser below the arrow rest. Stabilizers may be provided in different lengths, weights, shapes and configurations. Some may include appendages that depend from the front of the stabilizer; however, all are designed to counterbalance the weight of the bow and most are also designed to dampen vibrations from the strings of the bow. In addition, virtually all are provided with a threaded shaft at one end thereof that may be threaded into a threaded hole in the front or the rear of the riser for attachment to the bow. The standard configuration for these holes is 0.3125-24, with a diameter of 0.3125 inches (7.9 mm) and 24 TPI (threads per inch).
Other accessories that have a threaded shaft for attachment to the riser of the bow using the same or a different threaded attachment hole include cameras and other items of photographic equipment, sighting devices and game tracking devices. Sighting devices are generally attached to a threaded hole provided in the side of the riser. The standard configuration for this hole is No. 10-32, with a diameter of 0.190 inches (4.8 mm) and 32 TPI (threads per inch). Most of the other accessories are attached to a 0.3125-24 threaded hole provided in the front of the riser.
Although such accessories are usually provided with a threaded shaft that is adapted for mating engagement with a threaded attachment hole in the riser of a bow, it is conceivable that they could be provided with a flange having a bolt hole and a separate bolt that is adapted for mating engagement with an attachment hole. For purposes of the discussion herein, such alternative means of attachment are considered to be equivalent. As used herein therefore, "accessories having a threaded shaft at one end thereof" shall include accessories that are attachable using a separate threaded bolt.
Because stabilizers and other accessories are sometimes long or bulky, it is frequently desirable to attach the accessory only when use of the bow is imminent, and to remove it for transportation or storage of the bow. Therefore, the user of a stabilizer, for example, generally has to thread its shaft all the way into the threaded hole to attach it, and reverse the process to remove it. As an alternative, hinged or articulating adapters have been developed that may be threaded into the attachment hole in the riser and into which the stabilizer may also be threaded. These hinged adapters may be articulated from a first position in which the stabilizer extends from the front of the bow to a second position in which the stabilizer is folded out of the way. These adapters also include a mechanism that locks the hinge in either of the first or second positions. Once installed, these hinged adapters do not permit ready or easy removal of the stabilizer or other accessory. They merely permit the installed stabilizer to be folded out of the way.
Other adapters have been developed to provide a more convenient means of attachment and removal of the stabilizer or other accessory, but these adapters employ a plurality of separate components. A first component typically comprises a female-threaded member that is threaded onto the threaded shaft of the accessory. The second component includes a body having a slot or socket into which the first component may be removably placed, and a mechanism for tightening the first component in the socket. The second component also is provided with a male-threaded member that may be threaded into the attachment hole of the bow. The stabilizer or other accessory that is attached to the bow using one of these adapters may be removed from the bow by disengaging the tightening mechanism and removing the accessory, and the first component that is attached to the accessory, from the second component. In order to use the accessory on the bow at a later time, the first component is mated with the second component and the tightening mechanism engaged to hold the components together. This procedure takes about as much time as would be required to attach an accessory to the bow by threading its threaded shaft into the attachment hole, or to remove it by reversing the process. Furthermore, it requires that the first component of the adapter be attached to the shaft of the accessory in a more-or-less permanent attachment. This prevents an archer from using, from time to time, the same accessory on a plurality of bows or a plurality of accessories on the same bow, unless all are equipped with the same type of adapter assembly.
It would be desirable, therefore, if a mechanism could be developed that would permit easy and quick attachment and detachment of an accessory having a threaded shaft at one end thereof, such as a stabilizer, to a bow. It would also be desirable if such a mechanism could be developed that would permit the accessory to be easily and securely locked into place on the bow. It would also be desirable if such a mechanism could be developed that would permit easy and quick attachment and detachment of such an accessory without requiring that the accessory be altered or fitted with any components in a more-or-less permanent attachment.
Such an improved mechanism may permit the development and use of new or improved accessories. For example, bow fishermen frequently attach a type of tracking device that resembles a fishing reel to the front attachment hole in the riser. A line from the reel is then attached to an arrow so that if the fisherman hits his target, he can retrieve the fish and his arrow by pulling on the line. An improved mechanism of the type contemplated herein would permit a bow fisherman to attach an ordinary fishing reel mounted on a short rod to the bow. Once a fish was speared with an arrow, the fisherman could quickly detach his rod from the bow and easily reel in his fish.